Captain's Blog

Critter Notices

ReAnimus Acquires Advent!

ReAnimus Press is pleased to announce the acquisition of the legendary Advent
Publishers! Advent is now a subsidiary of ReAnimus Press, and we will
continue to publish Advent's titles under the Advent name. Advent was
founded in 1956 by Earl Kemp and others, and has published the likes
of James Blish, Hal Clement, Robert Heinlein, Damon Knight, E.E. "Doc"
Smith, and many others. Advent's high quality titles have won and been
finalists for several Hugo Awards, such as The Encyclopedia of Science
Fiction and Fantasy and Heinlein's Children. Watch this space for ebook
and print editions of all of Advent's current titles!

Network speeding up

I'm switching the connection over to a new, shiny 10X faster network
because of all the load. There might be bits of downtime as your boxes
learn new addresses and things. Should be brief. Let me know of any
prolonged outages you see.

Preditors & Editors Changeover

With the very sad passing of Dave Kuzminski, who ran P&E, I've taken over the P&E duties. Lots of what I hope are improvements; check it out at
pred-ed.com.

Critters Server is Dying has been Replaced

See important details
here in my blog.Let me know
if you find anything that isn't working right. (Manuscripts are now available
for this week, FYI.)

Book Recommendation

Announcing ReAnimus Press

If you need help making ebooks from manuscripts or print copies—or finding great stuff to read—look no further! An ebook publisher
started by your very own Critter Captain. (And with a
12% Affiliate program.)
[More]

D. E. Jackson, whose (Critter'd) novel, "The Clandestine " is now out from Amazon.
{I would like to thank all the Critters members who helped with the critiquing. A special thanks to Patricia Moussatche for all her hard work and brilliant insight.
} [Mar 2015]

Dom Dulley, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Washout" is now out in the current issue of The Novel Fox SF Anthology I.
[Mar 2015]

Derrick Boden, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Ghosts of Bunker Seven" to Plasma Frequency.
{Thanks for all the great crits on this one! If it weren't for all your help, I would never have sold it.
} [Mar 2015]

Vanessa Fogg, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Disconnected" is now out in the current issue of The Future Fire.
{
Thanks to everyone who critiqued this!
} [Mar 2015]

Derrick Boden, who sold his short story, "First Try" to The Colored Lens.
[Mar 2015]

Eleanor R. Wood, who sold her (Critter'd) short story, "The Fruits of Revolution" to 'Hear Me Roar', an upcoming anthology from Ticonderoga Press.
{This story went through Critters a couple of years ago and ended up much stronger as a result - thanks so much to everyone who shared their time and thoughts.
} [Mar 2015]

Mary Catelli, who reports "I have published a fantasy novel, A Diabolical Bargain, which is available from Amazon and other e-book retailers.".
[Mar 2015]

Jane Routley, whose novel, "The Three Sisters" is now out from Clan Destine Press [URL]{in ebook form
} [Mar 2015]

Rati Mehrotra, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Charaid Dreams" is now out in the current issue of Apex Magazine.
{Thanks to everyone who critiqued this!
} [Mar 2015]

Jonathan Byrne, whose (Critter'd) book, "The Last Ereph and Other Stories" is now out in the current issue of One Eyed Hound Press.
{My debut short story collection is made up mostly of tales that went through Critters. Thanks to everyone who provided feedback and made these stories better.
} [Mar 2015]

Richard Zwicker, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Trial by Fire" is now out in the current issue of SQ Mag.
[Feb 2015]

Stacey Nilsen, whose (Critter'd) short story, "That Murderous Thieving Bastard and His Wretched Beanstalk" is now out in the current issue of Fringeworks Publishers, Grimm and Grimmer Vol 3.
[Feb 2015]

Derrick Boden, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Deluge" to Kzine.
[Feb 2015]

Derrick Boden, who sold his short story, "Streetcar Number 10" to Saturday Night Reader.
[Feb 2015]

Richard Zwicker, whose (Critter'd) short story, "No-Brainer" is now out in the current issue of Perihelion Science Fiction.
[Feb 2015]

Jack L Knapp, whose novel, "Home, Book Three in the Darwin's World Series" is now out from Amazon Kindle Select.
{I"m not sure if Amazon Kindle counts as a 'paying market', but since two copies have already sold, that works for me!
} [Feb 2015]

Richard Zwicker, who sold his short story, "After Fear Becomes My Friend" to Mad Scientist Journal.
{This story was not Crittered, but every story I write has been helped by my association with Critters.
} [Feb 2015]

M.B.Vujacic, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Faceless" is now out in the current issue of Acidic Fiction.
[Feb 2015]

Mary Catelli, who reports "I have published two collections: Curses and Wonders, and Enchantments and Dragons, which are available from Amazon and other e-book sellers".
[Jan 2015]

Richard Zwicker, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "No-Brainer" to Perihelion Science Fiction.
[Jan 2015]

Carl Alves, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Last Man Standing" is now out in the current issue of Best of Dark Eclipse.
[Jan 2015]

Carl Alves, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Ghost Tour" is now out in the current issue of Bards and Sages Quarterly.
[Jan 2015]

Carl Alves, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Hail Mary" to AnotheRealm.
[Jan 2015]

Abra SW, who reports "My post-apocalyptic steampunk novel is out!".
{A Circus of Brass and Bone is available in print through Amazon and as an ebook at all major online retailers.
} [Jan 2015]

Michael Andre-Driussi, whose (Critter'd) short story, "It's a Long Road to the Sky Train" is now out in the current issue of Perihelion SF.
{Thanks to the baker's dozen of critters who critiqued this piece!
} [Jan 2015]

Dan Koboldt, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Going Viral" to Third Flatiron Publishing's Spring 2015 anthology, with the theme, "The Time It Happened".
[Jan 2015]

Richard Zwicker, whose (Critter'd) short story, "The Smart Mirror" is now out in the current issue of Bards and Sages Quarterly.
[Jan 2015]

Karl Bunker, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Caison" to Asimov's Science Fiction.
{This was a story that I didn't have much faith in until the feedback started coming in. So thanks to critiquers not only for helping to improve the story, but for helping me to believe in it!
} [Jan 2015]

Christoph Weber, whose (Critter'd) short story, "The Descent of Man" is now out in the current issue of Nature.
{This is a condensed version of "The Orchard," Critter'd a few months ago. Many thanks!
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v517/n7533/full/517236a.html
} [Jan 2015]

Krystal Claxton, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Heartless" is now out in the current issue of Fantastic Stories of the Imagination.
[Jan 2015]

Krystal Claxton, who has won the Writers of the Future (3rd place) award for her (Critter'd) short story, "Planar Ghosts".
[Jan 2015]

Krystal Claxton, who sold her (Critter'd) short story, "Heartless" to Fantastic Stories of the Imagination.
[Jan 2015]

Michael Andre-Driussi, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Atomic Missions" is now out in the current issue of Kaleidotrope.
{Thanks to all critters for feedback on this one!
} [Jan 2015]

Elena Hayes (writing as Elena Sands), whose (Critter'd) novel, "Heaven's Waiting Room has Lousy Magazines" is now out from Amazon/CreateSpace.
{"How Hypatia Started the Third War in Heaven" is included at the end of the novel (because it takes place in the same world, a prequel). This story was also Critter'd.
Thanks so much everybody at Critters for all your help and advice and special thanks to Eric Wilson, my RFDR guy!!!
} [Jan 2015]

Kevin David Anderson, whose short story, "Home Care" is now out in the current issue of Night Terrors III, from Blood Bound Books.
{Also featured in the anthology is award winning author Jack Ketchum. Now available at:
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Terrors-III-Horror-Anthology-ebook/dp/B00QZ9JOHU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1419026325&sr=1-1
} [Dec 2014]

Rati Mehrotra, whose short story, "Ghosts of Englehart" is now out in the current issue of AE - The Canadian Science Fiction Review.
[Dec 2014]

Richard Zwicker, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Feeling All Right" is now out in the current issue of Fantasy Scroll Mag.
[Dec 2014]

Vanessa Fogg, who sold her (Critter'd) short story, "Disconnected" to The Future Fire.
{
Thanks to everyone who Crittered this piece!
} [Dec 2014]

Vanessa Fogg, who sold her short story, "Moon Story" to Mythic Delirium.
[Dec 2014]

Ralph (RM) Ambrose, who has won the 4th Quarter Writers of the Future Honorable Mention award for his (Critter'd) short story, "Blood Bank".
{Thanks to all who provided critiques and encouragement through two rounds of revision. Your feedback helped the story get so far in the competition, so I welcome your crits on my next story in the queue: Culture War.
} [Dec 2014]

Mark Rookyard, who sold his short story, "Incorporeal" to The Colored Lens.
[Dec 2014]

Mark Rookyard, who sold his short story, "Plum, Rose, and a Hint of Musk" to Stupefying Stories.
[Dec 2014]

Mark Rookyard, who sold his short story, "Between the Worlds" to From Out of the Dark Anthology.
{Though this one wasn't officially crittered though it did receive a couple of valuable crits from members here. Thanks to those who read it.
} [Dec 2014]

Michael Andre-Driussi, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Lightspeed Messenger " is now out in the current issue of Stupefying Stories SHOWCASE.
[Dec 2014]

Mark Rookyard, who has won the Story Quest Contest award for his (Critter'd) short story, "Robert Fairweather and the Wrong Ticket".
{This came in third place in the competition. Thanks to all who crit this one.
} [Nov 2014]

Eleanor R. Wood, whose (Critter'd) short story, "The Scented Man" is now out in the current issue of Stupefying Stories Showcase.
[Nov 2014]

Stephen Gaskell, whose (Critter'd) short story, "On the Winds of the Rub' Al-Khali" is now out in the current issue of Intergalactic Medicine Show.
{This 19K novella went through Critters back in 2009, where it gained low quantity, but high quality crits. After hanging out in the slush for years, IGMS snapped it up this summer. Moral of the story? Keep submitting!
Btw, joining Critters back in 2004 was one of the biggest steps I ever made with my writing. Today I'm a games writer with ten pro-sales, and a debut post-apocalyptic novel that I'm subbing to agents. If you want to keep up with my work and gain valuable writing tips, sign up for my newsletter at stephengaskell.com.
} [Nov 2014]

Mark Rookyard, whose short story, "Peasholme Park" is now out in the current issue of Saturday Night Reader.
[Nov 2014]

Mark Rookyard, who sold his short story, "Sharanih" to Every Day Fiction.
[Nov 2014]

Amanda Niehaus-Hard, who sold her (Critter'd) short story, "The Pea Farm" to State of Horror: Louisiana, an anthology from Charon Coin Press.
[Nov 2014]

Sean Green (writing as S. R. Algernon), who sold his short story, "The Chains of Thomas Malthus" to Nature.
{Thanks to everyone for your critiques!
} [Nov 2014]

Jake Scholl, whose (Critter'd) novel, "Blade of the Broken" is now out from self-published.
{I would like to thank everyone who helped me make this book better, and helping me on this amazing journey.
} [Nov 2014]

Liz Heldmann, whose short story, "Inseparable" is now out in the current issue of Escape Pod.
{"Inseparable" is space opera with a foul-mouthed protagonist. It's tagged as over 17 only, so please show your i.d. at the door if you check it out!
} [Nov 2014]

Alexander Leger-Small, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "For Those Who Deserve It" to Mirror Dance.
[Nov 2014]

Fred Obermeyer, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Better" is now out in the current issue of Acidic Fiction.
[Nov 2014]

Fred Obermeyer, whose short story, "The Canvas of the World" is now out in the current issue of Perihelion SF.
[Nov 2014]

Christoph Weber, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "The Descent of Man" to Nature (Futures).
{This short-short is a condensed version of "The Orchard," which was crittered last month. It will be my first publication. Many, many thanks!
} [Nov 2014]

Arthur M. Doweyko, who has won the First Place Sci-Fi 2014 Royal Palm Literary Award award for his (Critter'd) novel, "Angela's Apple".
{The first chapters of Angela's Apple were crittered and the critiques received were instrumental in getting this piece to the next level. Thanks to all the critterfolk who helped!
} [Nov 2014]

Eleanor Wood, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Rule of Five" is now out in the current issue of Pseudopod.
[Nov 2014]

Carole Ann Moleti, whose (Critter'd) novel, "The Widow's Walk" is now out from Soulmate Publishing.
{Thanks to all many critters who read this manuscript, especially Andrew Richardson and Brent Nichols who did a full RFDR.
} [Nov 2014]

Tom Greene, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Monoculture" is now out in the current issue of Interzone.
[Nov 2014]

Henry McFarland, whose (Critter'd) short story, "THe Saddest Song" is now out in the current issue of Every Day Fiction.
[Nov 2014]

Michael Andre-Driussi, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Mayhem at Manville" is now out in the current issue of Bastion Science Fiction Magazine.
[Nov 2014]

Mark Rookyard, whose short story, "The Eye Has It" is now out in the current issue of Acidic Fiction.
[Oct 2014]

Carl Slaughter, who reports "Diabolical Plots has published my interview with DAW publisher and editor Betsy Wollheim. She really likes new authors and says she'd publish novels by new authors every month if she could manuscripts good enough. [URL] [Oct 2014]

Rati Mehrotra, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Anjali" is now out in the current issue of Inscription Magazine.
{Thanks to everyone who critiqued this!
} [Oct 2014]

Dom Dulley, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Washout" to The Novel Fox.
[Oct 2014]

Irene Ying (publishing as Kara Lee), who sold her (Critter'd) short story, "A Study in Bronze" to Mirror Dance.
{This was Crittered twice and improved massively both times! Thanks to everyone who offered feedback and encouragement.
} [Oct 2014]

Fred Obermeyer, who sold his short story, "The Canvas of the World" to Perihelion SF.
[Oct 2014]

Peter Elliott, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Avatar" to The Sehnsucht Project.
{I wrote Avatar in 2004 and I think it was Crittered that year, so let this be a lesson to everyone to keep sending their stories in lol! Thanks to everyone who read it and good luck with your writing!
} [Oct 2014]

Matthew Weber, whose (Critter'd) book, "A Dark & Winding Road" is now out in the current issue of Pint Bottle Press.
{"Eleven Twisted Tales from the Small Towns of America's Deep South" Now available in paperback and Kindle eBook. My Critters group was indispensable in the creation of this story collection, and Critters.org gets a shout-out in the acknowledgements page. I hope you enjoy the book.
} [Oct 2014]

Chet Gottfried, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Present Trouble" is now out in the current issue of Perihelion SF.
{Thanks everyone for Critter help, which is very much appreciated in making mine a better story (originally in the queue as "Past Tense"). Perihelion SF is a free online monthly and has a wide selection of stories (i.e., a great resource for writers and readers, over at http://www.perihelionsf.com/).
} [Oct 2014]

Liz Heldmann, who sold her short story, "Inseparable" to Escape Pod.
[Oct 2014]

Tom Greene, who sold his short story, "The Narrative of More" to Analog.
{Thanks to all for comments on other, Crittered stories set in this same universe. Your feedback helped me figure out what was worth keeping.
} [Oct 2014]

David G. Turner, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "The Clouds of Mount Olympus" to Goldfish Grimm's Spicy Fiction Sushi.
{Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on this story the two times it went through the Critters queue. It's been a long time coming.
} [Oct 2014]

Rati Mehrotra, whose short story, "Hatyasin" is now out in the current issue of Abyss & Apex.
[Oct 2014]

Stacey Nilsen, who sold her (Critter'd) short story, "A Very Long Ride" to Every Day Fiction.
[Oct 2014]

Eleanor Wood, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Daddy's Girl" is now out in the current issue of Crossed Genres.
[Oct 2014]

Rati Mehrotra, whose short story, "Hatyasin" is now out in the current issue of Abyss & Apex.
[Oct 2014]

Tom Grene, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Monoculture" to Interzone.
{A very early version of this story was crittered several years ago. Thanks to everyone who told me how terrible it was, thus inspiring me to try to improve my writing enough to make it better.
} [Sep 2014]

Ethan James Clarke, whose novel, "The Birth of Chaos" is now out from Amazon.
[Sep 2014]

Richard Zwicker, whose (Critter'd) short story, "The Robot of Dorian Gray" is now out in the current issue of Perihelion Science Fiction.
[Sep 2014]

Dom Dulley, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Matter over Mind" to Stupefying Stories.
[Sep 2014]

Abra Staffin-Wiebe, whose short story, ""Reconnect"" is now out in the current issue of Odyssey Magazine.
[Sep 2014]

T S. Foxe, whose (Critter'd) novel, "Methuin's Collapse" is now out from iBooks.
{Thanks to the Critters who helped me see some of the folly in my endeavor but mostly for the encouragement to press on.
T S. Foxe
} [Sep 2014]

Fred Obermeyer, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Better" to Acidic Fiction.
[Sep 2014]

Fiona Howland-Rose (Writing as Fi Michell), whose short story, "The Kyne Extraction" is now out in the current issue of Kasma Science Fiction.
{The second sale for this short piece, and the first time one of my stories has been illustrated. I'm very pleased to have this as September's story at Kasmamagazine.com. It's free to read.
} [Sep 2014]

Daniel P Swenson, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Space Tagger" to Neo-opsis.
{I submitted this previously, but it doesn't seem to have gone through, so I'm trying again.
thanks, Dan Swenson
} [Sep 2014]

Steve Donnelly, who sold his (Critter'd) short story, "Do You Have a Weapon, Sir?" to Torn Pages Anthology.
{My recently critiqued story, 'Do You Have a Weapon, Sir?' has been accepted by the Torn Pages Anthology. Thanks to the 47 critters who critqued this story and offered some useful suggestions for the re-write.
} [Sep 2014]

NM Whitley, whose short story, "Chatarra" is now out in the current issue of Ideomancer.
[Sep 2014]

Vanessa Fogg, whose short story, "The Berry Girl" is now out in the current issue of Lakeside Circus.
[Sep 2014]

Michael Andre-Driussi, whose (Critter'd) short story, "My Four Foundling Fathers" is now out in the current issue of Wicked Words.
{Thanks again to the critters who responded to this movie-line story a couple three times.
} [Sep 2014]

Vanessa Fogg, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Congress of Dragons" is now out in the current issue of Mirror Dance.
{
Thanks to all who critiqued this work!
} [Sep 2014]